


like it's the end of the world

by nerdbird26



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abuse, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Drug Use, F/F, Gun Violence, Knives, M/M, Misgendering, Past Character Death, Past Relationship(s), Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:25:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdbird26/pseuds/nerdbird26
Summary: Set in a small town in the corner of New York, a new student has joined the nearby high school, which catches the eye of Tony Stark.





	1. the mini biography of tony stark

Tony Stark.

Rebel. Punk. Bad boy. Son of a bastard. The king of the town. Fuck it, the world.

The kid had no cares in the world. He would skip classes to smoke in the bleachers of the football field. He would get into fights. He would have sex in the bathroom stalls with any cheerleader or football player. He was reckless and a mess.

The other kids at the high school would as "Is it all just for show?" "Does he have something to prove?" "What was his deal?" No one knew the answer.

Tony was born and raised in that little town. Once known as Antoinette up until 6th grade, where he snuck into the girls bathroom with a pair of scissors and cut his waist long hair short. When he came home that day, his dad, Howard Stark, cracked a bottle against his little head, leaving a scar right across his hairline.

His best friend, James "Rhodey" Rhodes (who he had known since 5th grade), had agreed to calling Antoinette "Anthony" from now on. And everywhere he went, when people asked him his name, he'd say "Anthony. Or Tony, I don't mind."

In freshman year of high school, Tony and Rhodey dated for about three months before splitting it and remaining friends. They were each other's homecoming dates and loved the thrill of their relationship, but it was never quite what they wanted. The partial reason why they had started going out was to piss off Tony's dad even more, but it soon backfired when Tony would come to school with broken lips or black eyes.

Then the duo met Bruce Banner. The genius was in their science class and was always the top student. He was usually referred to as a smart-ass and a nerd, but Tony found some charm in him. Even though Tony was bright, too, he'd never bother to put in the effort, and would often ask Bruce for help. And that's how that friendship blossomed.

In his other classes he had met Thor, Loki, Carol, and Valkyrie. Thor was captain of the football team. He was bulky, blond, and hot as hell. Even though Tony never had a thing for him, he could definitely see how everyone else did. In sophomore year, Bruce went through a miniature crisis about not having dated anyone before, which was enough for Tony to set him up with the hottest guy in school. Of course. Bruce called him crazy and nearly killed him for it, but it ended up working out for them.

Loki was Thor's adopted British brother. He was the exact opposite of him: lanky, dark haired, somewhat greasy. He was in drama club and was the gossip queen of the school. He was tricky and a master prankster, but he would never get caught. When Tony first met him in his freshman English class, he thought he was pretty annoying, but after that he learned to like him quite a bit. 

Carol was a good friend of Rhodey from elementary school, but she and Tony were never close until 8th grade. They soon became like brother and sister. Carol would invite Tony over to her place when his dad would get into a fight with him and kick him out.

Tony wasn't close with Valkyrie either, but in sophomore year the two girls had started dating and Tony decided to make an effort to meet her. She was in his physical education class and was though as a wall of bricks. She was in wrestling and always brought the best booze to any party.

And finally, there was Steve Rogers. Steve Rogers with his golden hair and bright azure eyes. The two met in 7th grade in history. This was still during that "Oh, Antoinette's a boy now" period, and many of the other kids found Tony strange. He was knee deep in insecurities and dysphoria at that point, so when Steve sat down next to him on the first day of school, it seemed shocking. The blond boy spoke, his voice ringing like bells.

"Hey, I'm Steve."

"Anthony. Or Tony, I don't mind."

The two would spend time together in and out of school. Steve had become Tony's second closest friend, but he was getting a strange feeling that maybe Tony wanted more than that. In freshmen year, after the "Rhodey and Tony" thing had passed, Tony made his move. And the Fourth of July would not compare to the way sparks flew for those two.

It was the longest relationship Tony had ever been in. Hell, it was probably the longest relationship any two people had in that high school. Tony had never been happier. He would spend most of his time at Steve's place, either just hanging out or studying. Being with Steve even helped Tony bring his grades up. Tony, Rhodey, Steve, Bruce, Thor, Loki, Carol, and Valkyrie all got along perfectly. It was heaven.

And then came junior year. It was February 23rd. The cold was still lingering in the air. It was after school and Tony and Steve were sitting by the bleachers, waiting for Thor to finish football practice. They were just sitting there, talking nonsense.

"My dad is out of town on a business thing. We could spend the weekend there." Tony said, his breath coming out like smoke.

"Okay." Steve replied, his hands stuffed into his coat pockets. "My mom is making lasagna on Friday. I could bring leftovers so we don't have to call take out."

"Thank God! Your mom's cooking is the best." Tony snuck his finger into Steve's pocket and interlocked his hand with the blond's. Steve chuckled.

When Thor signaled from below that he was done with practice, the two got up from their spot on the bleachers and descended to the field. The three walked to the vacant parking lot towards Thor's car. As the approached the vehicle, a familiar man walked up to them.

"Annie." It was unfriendly and stern.

The brunette turned around swiftly. When he was who it was, he lost his breath. "Dad?" His tone wasn't like "is that my dad?", but rather "fuck, it's my dad."

"Get over here, Annie. You have a lot of explaining to do when we get home." God, his voice made Tony nauseous. He looked at Steve, who was standing next to him with a look of confusion, fear, and anger directed towards his dad. Nevertheless, Tony forced his legs, which felt like jello, to move towards his father, who was already walking towards his car.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Howard turned to look at the voice. Tony looked back, too, only to find Steve standing there, chest puffed out and arms crossed.

"I said no. Tony's not going home with you." Steve's voice was firm and filled with bravery. If Howard weren't here right now, Tony would have smiled. But now, Tony was quivering.

Howard didn't speak. He just kept looking at Steve. He reached into the side of his belt and pulled out a gun and aimed it directly at the blond. His finger was on the trigger. Tony's body jump started to life as he leaped forward and pulled Howard's arm.

"Stop! STOP! DON'T YOU FUCKING DO IT!" Tears were pouring down his face. Howard was still staring at Steve, his body stiff. "C'mon dad, let's just go home. I'll go home, I swear!"

Howard lowered the gun. Tony was clinging to him, still shaking and crying. "Okay, Antoinette. Let's go. But first," Howard pointed his finger at Thor and Steve, "go."

When they made no attempt to move, Tony looked at them with shimmering eyes. "Please go." He mouthed. Thor got into the driver's seat and started the car. Steve entered the passenger seat. The car's lights lit up the scene and within a few moments, was already driving away.

"Go, Annie. Start walking." Howard shoved Tony on the shoulder. Still shaken up by his father pulling a gun on his boyfriend, Tony made his way over to his dad's car. He was trying his best not to break down and fall to the pavement. He swallowed dryly and took in a deep breath.

And then he heard a gunshot from behind.

And another. And three more. He heard glass shattering. A car screeching to a stop. And a scream.

He turned around and saw his father, gun in hand, aiming at Thor's car. While still looking at the car, Tony launched himself toward the man, slamming him to the ground. He was throwing his fists into flesh and bone. He heard cracks and snaps. He felt the wetness of blood on his knuckles.

Then someone picked him up. The strong arms carried him away from the carnage of his beaten father. He tried to break away from the grasp. He wanted to kill him. But whoever was pulling him away was much stronger, for he was tossed into the back seat of a car.

"Tony! Listen to me. I need you to talk to Steve. Just talk to him. Keep him awake!" It was Thor speaking to him. He was blasting down the street toward the hospital.

Tony immediately sat up to get a better look at his partner. "Steve? Stevie? Babe, it's me. Steve, can you hear me? Steve!"

The body in the passager seat moved slightly and made a groaning sound. The entire seat was covered in blood.

"H-hang on, babe. We're gonna get you to a hospital. Just stay with me."

The body shifted its position to look at Tony. Steve's head was tilted toward him. A small smile formed on his lips. His mouth opened. Droplets of blood dripped down.

"T-Tony." His voice was strained. "I- _oh god_ I lo-"

"Hey, Steve I need you to relax. Keep your energy. We're almost there." Tony wasn't sure at all if they were close or not. He looked briefly at Thor, who was crying uncontrollably, gripping the wheel till his knuckles were white.

"I lo-love you, T-Tony."

"I love you, too, darling. Just stay with me, okay?"

Steve didn't reply. He didn't even move.

"Steve? Babe? Steve?!"

Thor was still driving like a madman.

"Thor?! He-he's not..." Tony's breathing turned jagged. He let out a scream, which mellowed into a sob. "Steve?! Steve! STEVE!"

Thor kept driving until he reached the hospital. He rushed into the building to alert anyone inside. Tony remained in the car, glancing once or twice at the body of his love. He opened the back door of the car and vomited onto the pavement. He continued to sob, his tears falling into the acid.

The car was soon surrounded by nurses and doctors, dragging Steve's corpse into the building. Thor entered the back seat through the other back door and sat next to Tony. He held the crying teen in his arms. Tony didn't stop crying. The embrace didn't feel like Steve's.

The funeral was two months later. A whole lot of Steve's family was there. Uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents that Tony had never met. Steve promised that one day he would meet them. He just wished it wasn't like this.

Tony's friends were there, too. They comforted Tony, and he was more the grateful for their presence. He just wished Steve was here and not six feet underground in a box.

Then came the court hearing. Howard Stark was given a life sentence for murder. Tony wished that it could have been more.

All Tony could do was wish. Wish for the better. Wish for Steve to come back. Wish for his dad to be dead.

The wishes never came true.


	2. new kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new kid joins Tony's English class, which leads to a very interesting day.

Senior Year.

It had been seven months since Steve's death, and Tony was not coping. Or rather, he was "coping" in his personal way. The rest of his group disagreed with his methods, which included skipping class, smoking, drinking, and fighting. And Tony had to admit, it wasn't helping him at all, especially at school. He was getting decent grades in science, p.e., and math, but his history and English grades were going down the drain. Mostly because he didn't have any friends in those classes to help him out. And history class was always Steve's favorite; it reminded Tony too much of him.

Tony was in his least favorite class, English. His teacher was lecturing to the class about some of Shakespeare's writings (or something like that, Tony wasn't paying attention). His seat was located in the second to last row near the middle, which made it a good place to take a nap or zone out without the teacher noticing.Besides, the teacher couldn't care less about them; most of the students were probably stoned or drunk at this point. Tony, with his head rested on his arms, felt like he was going to pass out then and there, until the classroom door opened.

In the doorway stood the 12th grade guidance counselor and a kid he had never seen before. He was around the same height as Tony, maybe one inch taller, and wore a red jacket. Compared to the rest of the class, he looked like a middle schooler dropped into a room full of prisoners. The poor kid looked so innocent, even someone like Tony could pity him. The counselor spoke with the teacher for a bit, then the teacher spoke with the student. The kid walked over to the row next to Tony and sat in a seat near the front of the class.

The teacher spoke to the class in his usual monotonous voice. "Alright class, we now have a new student in our class. Scott Lang." All eyes were on the new kid. Scott looked around the class and simply raised his hand as a hello. The rest of the class continued as normal, with kids dozing off or on their phones as the teacher rambled on and on. The only person who seemed mildly interested in the lecture was the new kid. And that intrigued Tony, not in the class, but rather the kid himself.

From Tony's angle, he could see Scott's wide brown eyes darting across the board, his hand scribbling notes in a notebook. He would interchange from his leg bouncing a mile a minute to twirling a pencil around in his free hand. His fast movements made Tony anxious, like the feeling of going down a really fast rollercoaster. He hadn't even noticed that he was staring at the back of his head until the new kid turned his head his direction.

In an instant, Tony snapped his eyes down to his desk. He suddenly became very nervous and wasn't sure what to do with his hands. He started to scribble on the wooden table which was already littered with vulgar words and immature drawings. He wrote down in a little space without markings.

"new kid"

The bell for lunch rang and the whole class flocked out the door. Tony and Scott were the last ones out the door. Scott was already joining the sea of high schoolers toward the cafeteria, when Tony caught him by the arm.

"Uh, Scott, right?" Tony stammered. _God._ Tony never stammered.

"Yeah? That's me." The kid replied, confused.

"Anthony. Or Tony, I don't mind." Tony stuck out his hand and Scott shook it. "So, you're new, huh? Where you from?"

"Other side of New York. My dad had a job offer here, so we moved."

"Alright. So what class do you have after this?"

"Science with uh- what was his name? Mr. Pym, I think it was."

"Cool, I have him next, too!" Tony said with some genuine excitement. He almost never showed any sort of excitement or interest toward most things anymore, unless he was with friends. And he didn't consider this new kid is "friend" yet.

The two teens walked into the cafeteria, already filled with loud high schoolers. A dark skinned girl from a nearby table waved Tony over. It was Valkyrie, and with her was Carol, Rhodey, Bruce, and Thor. Tony led Scott over to their table and sat down next to Rhodey. The other members of the table looked at the new kid with curiosity.

“Everyone,” Tony announced. “This is Scott Lang. Scott, these are my terrible friends.”

Valkyrie, who was sitting across from him, tossed her carton of milk in his direction. Tony dodged it and the empty carton flew past him.

“Hey! I was just kidding!” Tony held his hands up defensively. “Not all of them are terrible. Rhodey is pretty cool.” He patted Rhodey on the shoulder. “Actually, Rhodey is the only good person here. The rest of us are terrible.” The rest of the group laughed and nodded in agreement.

“So, Scott, this is Rhodey, Bruce, Thor, Carol, Valkyrie, and...” Tony looked around the table, confused. “Oh, where is that son of a-“

Before he could finish his sentence, someone jumped him from behind. He let out a screech and immediately reached behind him, attempting to grasp at the long-haired teen. Loki let go of Tony and pulled up a nearby chair to the table. He was wearing a green hoodie and black ripped jeans, and his black hair was draped over his shoulders. He wreaked of weed.

“And this asshole over here is Loki. He’s the worst.”

“Charmed.” Loki said in his pleasant British accent. “So, hangout at my place this Friday?”

“Yeah, our parents are gonna be out at a company party sort of thing.” Thor finished Loki’s thought.

Thor and Loki were the richest between their group of friends, so their place was the usual hangout spot. Their hangouts usually consisted of an unhealthy mix of weed, alcohol, and shitty horror movies.

“Scott, you should come over, too. It’ll be fun.” Tony declared.

“Yeah, sure! I’m free Friday.”

Loki leaned over to the table to reach Scott, pulled the sleeve of his jacket up, and wrote his address on his forearm with black ink.

The rest of lunch and fourth period flew by quickly. During science, Tony pretended to drink a bubbly substance from one of the beakers, which almost caused Mr. Pym to send him to the office. Scott on the other hand, was infatuated with every word that the teacher was saying. Like in English class, he was jittery, writing pages of notes like a madman. It still made Tony nervous.

By the end of class, Tony had given Scott his number. All of the students flooded the hallways towards the doors and to freedom. Outside, most of the kids headed towards the buses or their own cars. Others made their way to the gym for sports practice. Tony, however, made his way to the bleachers. The October air was chilly and everything was quiet. He took out a box of cigarettes and pulled one out.

It was his usual routine to spend his time at the bleachers and smoke until Rhodey, or sometimes Bruce, picked him up and took him to their place. Since Howard was in jail and Tony’s mom had died in a car accident, he didn’t have any particular place to live. In Rhodey, Bruce, and Thor’s places, there was always a spare set of his clothes there, just in case.

Tony smoke his cigarette peacefully, inhaling the toxic scent. His breathing caused puffs to engulf the air around his face. It was warm. It was nice. It was _good._

Things were good.


End file.
